Butte semi-weekly miner., 1887-10-19
LAND FRAUDS.

the Year and Exposing Some Shady
Operations.
WASHINGTON. October 14.-Land Com.
n,;ssioper Sparks in his annual report to
tbe Secretary of the Interior, says at the
outset that he has no word to recall that
has hitherto been uttered touching the ag-
eravated misrepresentation to which
nubc lands have been subjected through
Improvement laws and inefficient methods
NJ administration, and to VIII ch they are
sti exposed. Under the PRESENT wastrf1l
and aud.inspiring system Of disposal, the
o,eratons OF the past year, as previously.
have been conducted under the discourage
mept of inadequate appropriations, but
with the limited mean. at disposal, he
says. the results achieved confirm the
esrly statement OF the vastness of this
field of reform, the confines only OF which
have only been fairly explored.
THE REPORT SHOWS
since March 4, 1885, that 31.S24.4S1
acres have been restored to the public do
main. Sales, entries and selections for the
fiscal year ending June 30. 1887, embraces
26,l11.4OO acres, and OF Indian land
746 637 acres making a total OF $685.
O3S, an Increase over the year 1885
Of 3,733,474 acres. and an
increase of 4,se2,s24. com
1885. Receipts from disposals Of public
lands, $40. 7s4 921; from les of Indian
land, 81, ,4S4 ,3O2 total, $12,268 ,224, an
increase over 1885 OF So. .237. 1877. compar-
ed with the fiscal year, of $3.74S,725, to
which is to lie added $50, ,291 on account
Of timber depredations and $12, ,493 for
certified copies OF records. making total re-
capts from all sources, $12, ,2S9 ,OOS.
In Arisona frauds in favor OF the Atlantic
6Pscifc Railway in a block OF land 80 by
100 miles by each road is given, all good
land ss alleged by the Survey yor-General in
his report to the Commissioner. the de-
vsIopmpnt of fraudulent return of swamp
lands in surveys heretofore made in Min
nesota render q thorough examinati tiOn
o! Importance. Stories OF fraudulent
work also come from New Mexi.
co, Nevada and Wyoming. Surveyor.
General field examinations, continues the
report. shave developed fraudulent and |
extend which renders apparent the neces- |
sity OF inspection Of all preceding surveys.
and fully justifes the conclusions reached |
by this Office to defer the payment OF &C. |
counts for past SURVEYS until the true
character of the work shall be Aseertained."
The report
BRIEFLY REVIEWS THE WORK
Of the Surveyors.Ge General OF Arizona, Cali |
iornia and New Mexico in examining private |
land claims. About forty claims in New |
Mexico we're examined. and in nearly every |
case the Surveyors General recommend |
their rejection principally on grounds OF
fraud or noncompliance with law. Many |
we're found to cover areas several times as |
large as that Of the orig nal grant. In dis |
cussng swamp land grants the Commls- |
eioner says that claims under these grants |
have already rea ched the enormous amount |
Of nearly 77.5OO.OOO acres, aad that pat |
ents have been issued for nearly 56, 746,- |
900 acres. stiga tions during the past
year have demonstrated the fact that
many swamp land elaine are fra uduient on
forfeiture OF railroad land grants. The
Commissioner renews the recommendation
that
FORFEITURE BE DECLARED
in all cases, in which roads were not COM
pleted according to the grant. OF fraudu-
lent land entries as the result of a years
investigation asia entries, conveying
about 800, 900 acres, were held for cancel
lation. and 1852 entries, covering about
10000 acres, cancelled for fraud. This
subject he pursues at some length:
He says such record OF crime and
bold, reckless and gigantic schemes
to rob the Government O: it's
land is rarely to be found. They have
been discovered and exposed in every State
and Territory cont aiming public iand ano
the Commissioner thinks he can trutnlu!Iy
say in every land district AND county whG9
Especial agent has visited. Men OF ln!eI"'
gence and high standing in the community,
in many instan, es millionaires, were leaders
in tnese unlawful transactions. over oOU
cases have been discovered wherein perjury
or
suBoRNArloN OF PERJURY
va. committed. In'the majority OF cases
the off ers before whom proofs or QUIET
papers we're executed, largely sSa'e ano
Territorial officers not directly Responsible
to the Land Department., we're cognizant
OF fraud or could have become 80 Dy orul-
nary diligence While the area OF frauou'
lent entries is generally becoming circum'
scrib, I'd. there still remains much to oo'
and an entire or general cesss
ton OF fraud cannot be expec1eo,
80 long as the IacinGaee
offered for it's perpetration by exleI,ng
laws are so great and the means provi"ous
Tor their prevention so small. Op"aru "
10000 unexamined cases are no" on :n0
files which fraud have been charged or in
dicated: oil cases Of timber depredat'ons
or trespass were reported on dur'n' tne
year involving in timber and prodoces
S6,146,935 recoverable to the OnI!ea
states. The amount actually recovered 10
$l2S,642.